Apple Highlights iPhone XR Reviews

Reviews for the iPhone XR went live this morning ahead of Friday's launch, and in a press release in the Apple Newsroom, Apple has highlighted reviews from several members of the media who were able to spend some time with the new iPhones.

Apple shared key passages from sites that include Digital Trends, Daring Fireball, Tom's Guide, Mashable, Engadget, The Verge, TechCrunch, CNN, Best Products, Techradar, and more.

iphonexrreviewsapple
Mashable, for example, called the iPhone XR the "Goldilocks of iPhones" with its large screen size, affordable price tag, "fantastic" cameras, and future-proof power in the form of the A12 Bionic chip.

Daring Fireball said that the iPhone XR is the best Apple's ever made "dollar for dollar," while TechCrunch compared the device to "a piece of nicely crafted jewelry" with a "depth and sparkle" unmatched by other iPhones.

CNN praised the impressive Portrait Mode shots the camera is able to capture, The Verge lauded the work Apple did to make the rounded corners of the LCD match the corners of the device, and Digital Trends called the iPhone XR "the iPhone to buy."

iphonexr
Apple focused on sharing positive elements of the iPhone XR reviews, but for the most part, reviews were positive due to the iPhone XR's affordable price tag and high-end components.

The biggest difference between the XR and the XS is the LCD display over the OLED display, and reviewers thought the iPhone XR's display was one of the best LCD displays and while not as good as the OLED, it's not noticeable as long as you're not holding the two devices next to one another.

Apple's full list of review selections can be seen in the article shared via the Apple Newsroom, while additional reviews can be found in our own review roundup.

The first iPhone XR pre-orders will arrive starting on Friday, October 26, the launch date for Apple's newest flagship device.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iOS 19 Mock WWDC25 Feature

iOS 19 Expected to Run on These iPhones

Monday March 31, 2025 5:28 pm PDT by
iOS 19 will not be available on the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, or the iPhone XS Max, according a private account on social media site X that has accurately provided information on device compatibility in the past. The iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max all have an A12 Bionic chip, so it looks like iOS 19 will discontinue support for that chip. All other iPhones that run iOS 18 are expected...
maxresdefault

Apple Releases iOS 18.4 With Priority Notifications, Ambient Music, New Emoji and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:03 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, the fourth major updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating system updates that came out last year. iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 come two months after Apple released iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Monday March 31, 2025 11:27 am PDT by
Apple today released new firmware updates for all AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 models. The new firmware is version 7E93, up from the 7B21 firmware that was installed on the AirPods Pro 2 and the 7B20 firmware available on the AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with ANC. It is not immediately clear what new features or changes are included in the new firmware, but we'll update this article should we find ...
watchOS 11 Thumb 2 1

Apple Releases watchOS 11.4 With Sleep Alarm Update

Tuesday April 1, 2025 10:34 am PDT by
Apple today released watchOS 11.4, the fourth major update to the operating system that runs on the Apple Watch. watchOS 11.4 is compatible with the Apple Watch Series 6 and later, all Apple Watch Ultra models, and the Apple Watch SE 2. watchOS 11.4 can be downloaded on a connected iPhone by opening up the Apple Watch app and going to General > Software Update. To install the new software,...
macOS Sequoia Feature

Apple Releases macOS Sequoia 15.4 With Mail Categorization and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:04 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.4, the fourth major update to the macOS Sequoia operating system that launched in September. macOS Sequoia 15.4 comes two months after the launch of macOS Sequoia 15.3. Mac users can download the ‌‌macOS Sequoia‌‌ update through the Software Update section of System Settings. It is available for free on all Macs able to run macOS 15. With...
iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
Airpods Max Feature Green Triad

Apple Releases New AirPods Max Firmware With Lossless and Low-Latency Audio Support [Updated]

Monday March 31, 2025 3:49 pm PDT by
Update 4/2/25: Apple has updated an AirPods support page to indicate that the AirPods Max (USB-C) firmware update version 7E99 is now "coming soon." The original article continues below. Apple today released a new firmware update for the USB-C version of the AirPods Max headphones. The new firmware is version 7E99, up from the prior 7A291 firmware the device was previously running....

Top Rated Comments

AvisDeene Avatar
84 months ago
And here I am, happy with my iPhone 6s Plus. If it lasts long enough, I’ll hold out until Bluetooth headphones have sound quality that rivals wired and for the micro-LED displays.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sos47 Avatar
84 months ago
XR has nice specs. But is too big.
Waiting for the iPhone XR Mini.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Scottsoapbox Avatar
84 months ago
The XR reviewers were surprisingly subdued after all of the previous cautions to wait for it...

XS reviews: Most people should wait for the XR.
XR reviews: It's not really that much cheaper, so maybe get the XS.

Thanks guys. Thanks a lot.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JPack Avatar
84 months ago
Unless you're the guy in the bottom pane, the iPhone XR is a home run for Apple.

A12, Face ID, dual-SIM, 128GB storage, it's what everyone's been asking for.



Attachment Image
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PickUrPoison Avatar
84 months ago
I'm looking at the XR as an upgrade from the SE (which is essentially a 6S in 5's clothing).

My only concern is the Lightning port.

I'm onto my second SE in two years... first one's battery failed after exactly one year. Second one is again giving my grief after exactly a year. Both exhibiting the same problem — trouble keeping an electrical/power connection at the Lightning port. I'm constantly finding that I need to wiggle the cable to get a connection.

I haven't read many reports of this issue, and I'm hoping it's limited to the port used on the SE.

I don't want to pay the "tax" of upgrading to another phone only to have the same problem again after a year when my current phone works perfectly except for this one issue.
If you’re like 99% of the other people who have intermittent Lightning connection issues, your problem is pocket lint getting down into the jack, preventing the plug from seating properly. Apple will clean it out for you, or you can do it yourself with a non-conductive implement like a toothpick. Be sure to get all of it, it can be packed in there very tight!
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
usarioclave Avatar
84 months ago
It's not affordable for a vast majority of people
Well, it depends on your frame of reference. For the majority of humanity air conditioning isn't affordable. That isn't Apple's market.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)